Formerly a primetime radio show on WPSC 88.7 FM, What's The Movement (WTM) is a Jersey based Multi-Media Platform to showcase art, music and anything moving. The home of A-Side B-Side Podcast and the filter for the masses.

Jun 25, 2018

Review: EVERYTHING IS LOVE - The Carters (words by @RamseySaidWHAT)

A few months back I almost dropped a piece covering Beyoncé's spectacular Coachella set. I still may release that in a different format someday. To take an excerpt from that piece, I'll make an analogy. Beyoncé is to Lebron as MJ is to MJ. I'll explain that later. For now we have a review to do. It's funny I've never reviewed anything by Beyoncé. Partially fear of the hive, partially because I didn't want to compete with every other site EVER and their reviews. THE CARTERS presents EVERYTHING IS LOVE, let's get to it.

The project opens up with SUMMER. I want you to imagine you're at the beach listening to this. Close your eyes. Let Bey serenade in your headphones. This is their love song to each other. Jay pulls up smoothly with a story of a summer night with his family. Don't stay in this fantasy too long because APES**T sounds dramatically different. I recently listened to the Migos demo of this. I've said it before and time and time again I always remind people: "Adaptation is the key to longevity." Their ability to adapt to today's trap sound will always keep them in conversation. Not my favorite in the world but this will ring in car speakers all summer. It is what it is. Besides Jay has been doing well on trap beats for awhile now (example: La Familia, I Got the Keys with Future). Also, these guys really rented out the Louvre to shoot this video.

The tenor melodies and harmonies are fire on BOSS. This track is what I call real music. Beyoncé floats here. They start with the chorus, then add a brass section, then add piano. Then take a section away bar by bar. This is excellent. This is when the real shit talking begins. Subliminals enter the playing field here. Get used to it too, it's gonna happen throughout.

"Till them invoices separate the men from the boys. over here we measure success by how many people successful next to you."

Afterward Beyoncé follows up with some black excellence of her own. whips for everyone, generations full of brown Forbes listers, you know the usual.

NICE is a Neptunes beat if I ever heard one. Before the first lyric is sung this production screams Pharell. If you're wondering why Lemonade isn't anywhere but tidal this should clear things up for you. Not for nothing Pharell is the only person in the music industry that can't sing and it's okay for him to falsetto over anything he wants. He's the only pass. Just think of his voice as another instrument. It's also nice to have this feature without it being listed. Makes for a nice surprise. 713 is very obviously an ode to Houston without googling the area code. In fact we get the low down on how the power couple really got to meet, how he almost lost her, and how he went full Melo mode to get her back (more on that later).

I think FRIENDS is the best track on the project. It had the most subliminals and lines to be read through. I think the only way to get a friend is by being one. This song reinforces that lesson. This beat and 808 kick is too tough. Queen B's autotune makes this car speaker certified. This has to sound crazy live.

The kardashians too. “Put niggas on a t shirt.” “Ain’t going to nobodies nothing if me and the wife beefing” regarding the wedding pic.twitter.com/8pXk8Sc1CH

Only Beyoncé and Jay Z can find a way to flex on a song clearing the air on some things. HEARD ABOUT US has instagram captions for days. So famous I don't wear a suit to court. Cuba and Aruba in the winter. I can't lie I'm pretty jealous of those kind of problems.

BLACK EFFECT begins with words of wisdom from an older woman before an R&B sample blends through. Then a punchy kick drum rings your headphones. This is my favorite hook on the project. If Black Excellence was a song this is it. The project closes out with LOVEHAPPY. It's flat out beautiful. This is the most hip hop beat here. "I had to move the whole family west but its whatever. in a glass house still throwing stones, Hova Beyzus, watch the throne." I seen a bunch of Kanye to Kim "get the nudes" memes probably stemmed from this line. Their chemistry to turn the first verse into a conversation where they upstage each other was clever. Hov even took a bar from the Common classic H.E.R "Y'all know how I met her, we broke up and got back together." Great mood to close out a project. Sometimes you can tell when Bey is really into what she's singing and she gets into this growling voice. I love it.

To be frank The Carters were talking greasy throughout the project. Beyoncé the emcee made an appearance with the singer and autotune crooner. I think these guys are the only ones who could do well with a surprise release. I had a complaint about them doing another tour without new material since their therapeutic revisit of darker times in 4:44 and Lemonade respectively. In fact they made some references, double and triple entendres the way only Hov and Bey can. You can tell this project was put together fairly recently regarding subject matter and such. I was pleased to see Jersey based Nija Charles had writing credits on a few songs on this project. try not to compare this to Twenty88 or any other collabs to this point. Short albums is the new trend that I foresaw on 5 Reasons Your Album Flopped. I enjoyed it thoroughly and I think it'll be in rotation all summer. It doesn't sound like what we would have thought a Jay-Z and Beyoncé album would ten years ago. Still this is an amazing piece. I wish they would have kept Shining on tuck this whole time because that would have been a wonderful lead single for this, but DJ Khaled. Anyways, EVERYTHING IS LOVE is everywhere now and by now I'm sure you've listened. Let's see how it stands the test of time.

Jonathan Ramsey

Multimedia Journalist, Founder and Chief Editor of WTM Host of A-Side B-Side Podcast and more. I like to talk about stuff and write it down. Sometimes to a microphone. Either way, I need you to feel this.

About The Editor

Hi, I'm Jonathan C. Ramsey and I'm the founder/Chief Editor of WTM. I'm a Multi-Media Journalist, On-Air Personality, Disc Jockey, Podcast and Event Host. Most of all I'm a God Fearer, Son, Brother, and Friend. I like to talk about stuff and write it down. Sometimes behind a microphone. Either way, I need you to feel this.

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Music, Art, Culture, Lifestyle, Forward Mobility What's the Movement began as a college radio show and small music blog hosted on tumblr. It's evolved into a multi-media platform currently hosting a Podcast, Web Series, Documentaries, and other programs in progress. We're more than just a blog. We are the filter for the masses. We are What's The Movement.